


Scavenger Hunt

by Oryx_Gazella



Category: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (Short Film)
Genre: DHMIS, F/M, HAHA WOW UH, Padlock, RESERVOIR PUPPETS, dont read this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-23
Updated: 2014-05-23
Packaged: 2018-01-26 05:30:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1676489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oryx_Gazella/pseuds/Oryx_Gazella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Paige teach the puppets about time management and biology</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scavenger Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> HAHA WOW OK I GOTTA WARN YOU ABOUT STUFF  
> FUCKINNNN  
> EYE VIOLENCE, ARM TRAUMA, NECK TRAUMA, NON-CONSENSUAL VIOLENCE LIKE YOU KNOW HOW TONY AND PAIGE ARE TOTALLY INTO KILLING EACH OTHER WHILE THE PUPPETS DONT WANT ANY OF THIS  
> UM  
> UM  
> THIS GOT OUT OF HAND THIS GOT WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY OUT OF HAND  
> IM GONNA GO LIE DOWN AND DIE

Tony flipped through the sheets of paper Paige had laid out in front of him.  He’d been silently examining them while she rattled off the plan, trying to keep any hints of approval off his face.  Eventually, though, he had to admit it.

“I like it.”

“Of course you do.”

“Mm.  So where did you steal the idea from?”

Paige ignored the last comment, gathering up the papers. 

“I’m assuming you want to do this today?  You haven’t allowed much time to get it set up.”

“Are you saying you can’t do it?”

“I’m saying _you_ have poor time-management skills.”

“You can tell me if you can’t do it, I’d be happy to help you once I’m done with my end.” 

“Don’t worry about it my dear.”  Tony stood up, heading to the front door.  “I expect I’ll be waiting for you.”

Paige watched him storm out, so determined to outperform her.  She smiled and strolled to the basement, where she had already gotten her half of the work done.  She knew he’d agree to the plan, and she had worked ahead; half because she wanted to be prepared, and half because she wanted to see his face when he found _her_ waiting for _him_. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Manny opened the door to the darkened house.  He was often home before Harry or Robin, forced to spend about an hour alone with…them.  The house smelled coppery, like blood.  That wasn’t unusual anymore.

He hung his bookbag on a coathook by the door; school was difficult, and lately he couldn’t concentrate in class.  Sleep was hard to come by most nights, with Paige and Tony creeping around the house and drawing screams from each other.  The things _he’d_ been through didn’t help either; an overly sharpened pencil set him on edge, and the silence during test periods emphasized the oppressive ticking from classroom clocks. 

Manny didn’t turn on the lights; he just wanted to get up to his room and stay there until his friends got home.  Having them around at least provided some illusion of security, though he was aware nothing could really stop those two. 

“Ah good he’s home.” 

Manny froze in the living room.  The high, friendly voice came from the kitchen.

“I was getting tired of waiting.”

            They were coming closer, in the dining room now.  He couldn’t make himself move to bolt out of the house, down the street maybe.  Anywhere.

            Tony and Paige appeared in the doorway.  They weren’t fighting each other and they weren’t distracted with anything else.  They were just looking at him, smiling.

            “Manny dear, we need your help with something.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

            Harry pulled into the driveway, feeling the same apprehension he always did.  Robin got out of the passenger side as he clicked off the lights and locked the doors.  Carpooling was necessary; they’d sooner save money up to pay off the house and move out than to buy a second car. 

            He could leave now.  He could get in the car and take the credit cards and not look back.  By himself it’d be easy enough to keep Tony and Paige off his trail, if they even _wanted_ to track him down.  He could find a roommate that wouldn’t poison his food or come up behind him and slash his eyes out.  Get a new job, maybe resume school.

            It was a fantasy, one he entertained at least once a day.  He couldn’t leave Robin and Manny alone with these monsters, and three of them couldn’t run away easily.  One job would be possible to find on short notice, but two?  And where would that leave Manny?  He was too young to find employment, and…well, school was the only reprieve he got from this nightmare.  If they ran, there was no way they’d be able to send him to school, they’d ask too many questions and it’d generate a trail.  The bank would find them, and these monsters would find them. 

            Harry unlocked the door.  Robin looked like he was mulling over the same kind of thoughts. 

            Walking in, the metallic scent of blood hit them.  Tony and Paige must’ve been at each other again.  Harry shrugged off his coat, hanging it beside Manny’s bookbag. 

            “Hey Manny, we’re home!”  he called.

Normally, they avoided announcing their presence; better to not draw attention to themselves, just in case someone was feeling bored.  But judging by the reek of blood hanging about the house, one of them was dead, and the survivor would be low on aggression after winning one of their _fights_. 

“In here!”  Paige called.

Harry and Robin both snapped towards the voice and froze. 

 _The smell of blood_ -

Harry barreled into the dining room, Robin on his heels, terrified for their friend.

For a second, Harry felt relief at the sight of Manny sitting, visibly unharmed, at the table.  Panic returned instantly with one look at his expression, and at Paige and Tony standing on either side of him. 

Manny was trembling, staring at them with frightened, pleading eyes.  His jaw was tensed, struggling not to speak out to them. 

 _Both_ Tony and Paige were smiling. 

Harry was afraid to move, fearing any advancement might trigger them to hurt his friend somehow. 

            Paige spoke up as he was grasping for something, anything to do.

            “We put together a fun activity for you two!”  She bounced excitedly and clapped her hands together, intertwining her fingers.

            “Manny was such a help when we were setting it up, too.”  Tony laid his hand on Manny’s shoulder.  Manny stiffened, face twisting, utterly repulsed by his touch.

            Paige stepped around the table, strolling towards them.  He struggled against his rushing adrenaline to stand his ground.  Physically, she was smaller than him; this didn’t stop her from somehow looming over both him and Robin as they shirked away from her.

            He hadn’t even noticed the paper in her hands until she held it out to him.  It took him a moment to understand and another to work up the will to take it.  Too wary to look down, he kept watching Paige, eyes flicking over nervously to make sure Manny was still alive.

            “It’s a scavenger hunt!”  She chirped “That’s your list.”

            “It’s timed, of course.” Tony added.  _Why wouldn’t it be?_

            “Only on the first floor, though.  If you find them all before time’s up, you win a prize!”  

            He and Robin glanced at each other.  How could they tell if winning or losing was worse?

            “I’m afraid your friend here can’t help you two search” Tony looked down at Manny with a smile, giving his shoulder a gentle shake.  Manny inhaled sharply, and held his breath.  “He helped us hide everything, so that would be cheating!”

            Paige made her way back around the table; only then did Harry take his eyes off her to look down at the paper; Robin leaned over to see it too.

            Foolishly, he had expected a list.

            What he held was a drawn picture of a person, simplistic and hastily colored in.  Each section of the body was a different color; one side had a red hand, blue forearm, and green upper arm. 

            “What do you-?” 

            “You’re wasting time standing around, you know!”  Tony said, cutting Robin’s question off.

            With a last look at their captive friend, Harry and Robin left the dining room.  Maybe if they figured out this game, they could get out Manny of this with minimal injury; Harry didn’t fool himself into thinking they’d get out of this unscathed.

            “What the hell are we looking for?” Robin asked once they were in the next room.

            “And how many… _things_ are there?”   He flipped the paper over; blank.  “And Manny…”  They were going to hurt him, he knew it.

            “I guess we just…start looking.”  Robin leaned down, peering behind the bookcase.  “Do you think there’s a way out of this?”  He mumbled. 

            “There…might be.”  _There wasn’t_.  One or all of them was going to get badly hurt, if not killed.  Again.  “They have to have some rules to this.  Otherwise why wouldn’t they just attack us outright?”  _Because they wanted to toy with the three of them._   “And if they just wanted to hurt Manny, he’d already be hurt.  You know how Tony is with _waiting_.”  _It wasn’t waiting if he was having fun._

            Lying through his teeth was the least Harry could do.  Robin probably didn’t believe him, but admitting it out loud was too painful.  Harry set the ‘list’ down on the coffee table and kneeled down to the floor, peeking under the couch. 

            Something was under there.

            All he could see was a dark, oddly-shaped lump; there wasn’t really time to go search for a flashlight. 

            “Hey!  I think I found something.”  He felt some bizarre innate excitement about finding a scavenger hunt item, despite the _situation_.

            He reached under the narrow space between the couch and the floor.  Robin came over, lying down on the floor to look at it.

            “Be careful, what if it’s some kind of animal?” 

            “Well if it’s an animal it’s not moving, so it should be safe.”  Harry’s voice was muffled, face pressed against the carpet, struggling to grasp the object.

            It was _just barely_ out of reach.  He couldn’t wedge his shoulder under the low couch, and his fingertips were a hair away from...whatever it was.

            “Here, let me try.” 

            Harry shifted over, and Robin stretched his arm toward the lump.

            Robin jumped, and let out a startled noise.  “Oh God I think it _is_ an animal; it’s _furry_.  I…got it.”

            His arm pulled back, both of them curious.  Robin held it between them; a dripping tangle of-

            Robin yelped, dropping it and scrambling to his feet.  Harry shoved himself away across the floor.

            “ _Fuck_ ” He cried, unable to tear his eyes from the scalp lying on their living room floor, gummy with coagulating blood. 

            His mind raced.  _They killed someone and left bits of the body in the house_.  

             Robin made a retching sound; Harry felt no such urge.  He looked down at the ‘list’ Paige had given him.  The hair on the picture was the same color and length as the scalp on the floor.  _So that was it_.  He felt numb.  There were at least five skin colors on the picture.  How many people were dismembered in here?

            Taking a deep breath, Harry steadied himself.  Robin was beginning to hyperventilate; he stepped over to him, gently grabbing his shoulders. 

            “Robin.  _Robin_.”  He gave him a slight shake, making him look up.  Harry spoke quietly, not wanting the two monsters in the other room to hear. “Listen.  We have to get through this.  They _want_ us to break down like this.  Don’t give them the satisfaction.”

            “That’s easy for you to say you didn’t just grab a _fucking scalp_.”   Robin’s speech was rushed, and his breathing was shallow.

            “I know, I know.”  Harry could freak out later.  Right now he had to keep up a front.  “Just…don’t think about it.  Block it out; pretend it’s fake.  Pretend it’d something else.  _Breathe_.”

            As if he needed the reminder, Robin took a deep breath, letting it out harshly, but began to calm down.  “Okay.  I-I’m okay.”  His eyes flicked down to the thing on the floor again.  “So that’s…what we’re looking for?” 

            “Looks like it.” 

            He gave a weak, breathy laugh.  “I mean, I guess isn’t even the worst thing they’ve made us touch, huh?” 

            There were a number of things Robin could’ve been talking about, but he was right.  The event that sprang to his mind was getting drugged by Paige and convinced to cut himself open.  The memory was fragmented and hazy, but Paige had been _kind_ enough to give him a full recap when he was revived.  He supposed he was lucky she hadn’t recorded it to show him.

            Harry returned the nervous laugh.  What else could he do?  “I guess it’s not.” 

            Somewhat collected but still shaking, Robin turned to search the living room more.  Harry hesitantly lifted up a cushion on the armchair. 

            _Now_ he felt sick. 

            It wasn’t the eyeball itself that did it, at least he didn’t think it was.  It was the sight of lint and couch-fluff stuck to the glassy, clouded surface that turned his stomach.  Something about it went right through him.

            Harry looked away as he reached for it, flinching when he touched the cold, sticky, and somewhat deflated-feeling sphere.  He picked it up, trying to physically contact it as little as possible.  He placed it on the coffee table; they had been meaning to get a new table, anyway.

            Other than Robin discovering a calf inside a cabinet a few minutes later, nothing else turned up in the living room.  They stared at the assortment of body parts on the unsalvageable table. 

            “Should we…bring them into the dining room before looking somewhere else?”  Robin still sounded sick.

            “I-…no, Manny’s already seen them enough.  Let’s just bring them in when we find, uh, the _rest_.” 

            They passed through the dining room; Manny was still sitting straight up, staring down at a spot on the table with his hands in his lap.  Paige was leaning back on the chair next to him, feet up on the table, looking bored.  Tony was standing on the other side, arms crossed, two fingers tapping out the seconds against his arm.  He was glaring at Paige.

            Manny’s eyes rose to watch them as they crossed the room; Tony and Paige didn’t even react to them. 

            Talking seemed like a bad idea; the less attentive those two were, the better.  Harry gave Manny a nod, hoping it could convey the reassurance he wished he could give.  Manny nodded back; a short, restrained movement. 

            They dug through the kitchen; by this point their nails were caked with drying blood.  Some of the hiding places were getting worryingly obscure now; a hand buried in a bag of flour (they only found it because blood had started to seep into the side of the bag), and a forearm wrapped in foil and hidden in the back of the freezer.  Harry started to fear they had missed something in the living room and wouldn’t have time for a second search.   

            How long did they actually have?  Asking Tony would be useless at best, and horribly detrimental at worst.  If he even answered the question, he’d likely shorten the time as a ‘penalty’. 

            After trying to figure out whether or not they should look in the workshop (hopefully a locked door meant ‘no’), Harry and Robin split up; both were paranoid about the unknown minutes they had left.  

            Harry didn’t know how long he searched.  The limbs he uncovered belonged to at least four distinct people, sliced cleanly from their bodies and tucked away.  An orange-skinned foot inside a vent, a light-blue shoulder duct-taped to the underside of a table, a red (did they purposely find someone with a skin tone that mirrored his so closely?) hand behind the water heater, to name a few.  Most were stiff with rigor mortis, and the early stages of decomposition had begun in a few, color paled and blood pooling to the relative bottom of the pieces of flesh in ugly bruises.

             Maybe they should’ve stayed together; Harry didn’t know what he was still missing; they had forgotten the paper back in the living room.  He could barely remember exactly what he had already found, having hastily blocked the images out of his mind as soon as they entered.  He could hear Robin rummaging around somewhere else in the house.  Was anything hidden in the dining room?  They hadn’t even considered it.

            “Time’s up!”  Tony’s voice rang out through the house, and the eagerness in his tone made Harry bristle. 

            Harry picked up the pile of bits that he had collected from this room; the parts awkwardly-shaped and numerous enough that it was necessary to hold them against his chest to keep his grip.  Foul-smelling, half-clotted blood began to seep into his shirt, the cold, damp cloth pressing repulsively against his skin. 

            He met with Robin in the hallway, carrying his _findings_ in a similar fashion.  They were going to have to make several trips.

            The parts were piled onto the end of the table; Paige and Tony watched them, judgmental, while Manny kept staring down at a spot in the table, more nervous than ever. 

            After a few more trips, all the parts they have found were lying in a heap on the table.  In the confusing mess of drying blood and multicolored skin tones, it was hard to tell if they missed anything. 

            Paige approached, and they both moved away, almost in sync.  She reached down to a limb in the pile, and began to organize them on the table with the same delicate motions she used to arrange bouquets of deadly flowers.

            Manny flinched when she set the torso in front of him.  Tony’s gaze moved from the pile of parts still in a heap to the corpse Paige was busily assembling.  Gauging what they had missed.

            Paige was done.  The missing right forearm was glaringly obvious. 

            “Hm.  An eye too.”  Tony stated, leaning over a trembling Manny to inspect the head on the table.

            “Well you don’t get the grand prize, but you do get a consolation prize.”  Paige began walking back to her previous position beside Manny.

            Harry saw the flicker of silver in her hand as she moved towards his friend.

            Manny saw it too.  Tony sprang on him before he could stand, one arm locked around his midsection, pinning his arms to his sides and crushing him against the back of the chair.  His other hand gripped his chin, holding his head up and still. 

            Paige stood over him, tilting her head slightly.  “Which eye did they miss?”

            “The left one, dear.” Tony replied.  Manny whined sharply, struggling against his unyielding grip.

            “No no _no no!”_   Harry started to move toward the table.  “ _Wait_ -“

            “Tony, love, could you tell them the _other_ rules?”  Paige reached to Manny’s face, two fingers holding his left eyelids open.

            “If either of you interfere, we’ll kill you both, make him watch, and _then_ take his eye.”  Tony’s voice was chillingly calm; amused, even.  _Encouraging them to try._

            Manny’s wide, panicked eyes flicked from the letter opener to Harry.  “Guy don’t-“

            The slivery blade slipped up into his eye socket.  His words and breathing cut off, and he froze.  Paige wiggled the metal, maneuvering it around the top of his eye.  A thin line of blood slipped down to the hilt of the letter opener, spilling down to run over Paige’s hand, lining the spaces between her pitch-black fingers.  He started screaming then.

            Harry’s heart felt like it was being crushed; he was physically unrestrained but still completely helpless to stop anything.  Manny’s feet kicked against the floor, bashing on the bottom of the table, accompanied by high, awful screaming.  His undamaged eye was squeezed shut, and Paige’s fingers prevented the other from doing the same. 

            “Oh stop whining, it’s just one eye.”  Tony said, barely audible above the howling.  “You have to cut all the muscles around it, Paige.”

            “I _am_ cutting the muscles _, Tony_.  Hold him better, he’s wiggling.”

            “Shhhh” Tony murmured “Moving around will only make the cut more ragged, and it slows everything down.  You don’t want that, do you?”  His voice was far more annoyed than soothing.  “Can’t you get it out intact?” he muttered up to Paige.

            “I _could_ if you’d shut up and _keep him still_.”  Paige angled the blade around the eye, cutting through muscle and nicking up the surrounding eyelids.

            The details were mostly hidden from Harry and Robin; Paige’s hand obscured the bulk of the mutilation.  But the thick lines of blood running down Manny’s cheek were fully visible, and the shrieking and struggling filled them in on what was happening.  Turning away would be so much easier to bear, but would it leave Manny feeling like they were abandoning him? 

            “Damn it.”  Paige hissed.  Clear fluid ran down Manny’s cheek, mixing in with the red already there; for a moment, Harry mistook it for tears. 

            “You should’ve let me handle it.” 

            Paige let go of his eyelids, using her fingers to reach into the hollow space and briefly sawed at something inside with the letter opener.  She pulled.

            Manny’s sliced-open, red-stained eye was set on the table.  Tears streamed down one side of his face, and an ugly, dark hole stood out on the other.  He was hyperventilating; Tony stood up, letting him go.  Manny’s hand flew up to cup over the empty socket and he leaned over, trembling violently and making panicked, whimpering sounds. 

            “The forearm, then…”  Tony muttered, rubbing at his stubble thoughtfully.  “I could rot it off, I suppose.”

            “Mm, but it’d get infected, and he’d die.”

            “Well we can’t just cut it off at the elbow, they found the right hand.”

            Silence hung in the air for a few moments, broken only by those short, gasping breaths.        

            Paige snapped her fingers. “…Flaying!”

            “ _Yes_!”  

            Judging by his lack of reaction, Manny didn’t seem to be listening to them.  He just kept shaking and wheezing, hand still held over his missing eye, blood dripping between his fingers. 

            “I’ll get a tourniquet.  He’s not going anywhere,” Paige patted Manny’s head, blood smearing into his hair “but keep an eye on those two.”

            She spoke about them like they weren’t even there, and to be honest, that’s what it seemed like.  Harry felt detached, and couldn’t quite make himself move, even as Paige passed within flinching distance on her way out of the room.  He was dimly aware of Tony’s attention moving to him; Harry was barely conscious of his own actions as he walked forward. 

            Tony did nothing to stop him as he approached Manny from the other side of the table, leaning over the corpse to him.  He tried not to react to the blood, or let on how sickened he was. 

            “Hey Manny…”  Harry’s throat was dry.  He hated that this was happening.  He hated that he couldn’t protect his friends.  “It’s…it’s gonna be okay.  You’re gonna be okay.”  He reached out, putting his hand on Manny’s shoulder.  How could Harry possibly comfort him? 

            “I-I’m sorry I-  I-it’s just making it worse for y-you guys w-when I cry I-I’m sorr-y”  He hiccupped, his sobbing leaving him unable to continue.

             “Ohh, _Manny no_ -“                                                               

            Robin charged over the table, yelling wordlessly.  His hands reached out for Tony’s throat, wrapping around his neck.  Tony took one step backwards when Robin slammed into him, but that was all.

            Tony’s face split into a grin, and he slipped his fingers around Robin’s wrist.  A cracking sound as Robin’s hand was bent backwards, and suddenly Robin’s face was smashed against the table and held there, arm twisted painfully behind his back.

            Tony barked with laughter.  “Oh I was _hoping_ one of you tried to be a hero!”  He glanced up to Harry “But I really thought it would’ve been you.  Too level-headed, hm?” 

            Robin’s arm was released, but his head remained forced against the wooden surface.  Harry saw the thin black knife before Robin did.

            “ _St_ -“  was all he got out before Robin’s throat was opened up.

            Tony let him go, and he jerked up, eyes wild, both hands clutching at his gushing neck and stumbling backwards to thump into the wall. 

            “You knew the rules.”  He said, wiping off the knife before slipping it back into his pocket.  “That _was_ amusing though, so I made it quick for you.”  He sounded like he expected a ‘thank you’. 

            Blood splashed out of Robin’s mouth and nose; he made choking, gurgling sounds as his legs gave out and he dropped to the floor.  His chest heaved a few times, and then stopped. 

            Harry’s heart raced when Tony’s attention shifted to him.  A smirk pulled up one corner of his mouth, and he inclined two fingers, beckoning him closer. 

            “You remember the rules too, don’t you?”

            _Both of them-_

            “You couldn’t have waited for me?”  Heels clacked on the floor as Paige strolled back into the room, a length of cloth in her hand.

            Tony looked to her, suddenly forgetting Harry entirely. 

            “I needed to act quickly, and you took too long.”

            She gave an annoyed sigh. “Just wake him up, I’d hate for him to miss this.” 

            Paige started rolling up the right sleeve of Manny’s shirt while Tony pulled off a glove.  Robin’s body was hefted onto the table, Tony’s hand on his ruined neck, spilled blood already evaporating and the ear-to-ear slash knitting back together.  Soon he was gasping in air, scared and disoriented.  Harry knew; getting revived was…unpleasant.  Like every adrenaline rush at once.  Even so, it was hard to not feel _grateful_ for being healed or brought back; less so when they remembered _why_ they needed to be brought back.

            Tony lifted up Robin by his collar, and suddenly shoved him over the table into Harry, sending them both crashing to the floor. 

            Robin was still panicking, and clung to him like a drowning man.

            “You’re okay!  Robin look at me!”  Robin couldn’t catch his breath.  From the floor, Harry could hear Paige and Tony talking.

            “Don’t put it on the joint.”

            “Did I look like I was putting it on the joint?”

            Manny let out a sharp whimper, and Robin looked up.   That seemed to be enough to bring his awareness back, and he clambered shakily to his feet, Harry followed; they’d both carry bruises from hitting the floor so awkwardly.

            Paige was holding him down this time.  Tony was checking his pulse at the wrist with one hand, and playing absently with the knife in the other.  Satisfied with the lack of blood flow, he tossed the knife to his right hand, and pressed Manny’s arm against the table.

            Without warning, he sank the blade into Manny’s arm, parallel to the bone.  Manny’s breath caught in his throat, shock freezing him.  His remaining eye widened, locked on the sight of his arm getting calmly butchered. 

            Tony sliced off the top of his arm in one easy, expert motion, taking skin and muscle down to the bone.  Blood flowed from the huge gash in slow, irregular pulses.  Strangled, nearly silent whines were all Manny could get out.

            The grip around Manny’s wrist pulled up, feeble struggling doing nothing to free him.  Tony leaned down, inspecting the paler underside of his arm; Paige strained her neck, trying to see what Tony was doing without loosening her grip.  With a violent tremble, Manny slouched limply forward.

            “Aw” Paige released him, his head leaning down to thump softly on the table “He passed out.” 

            Tony didn’t respond, making a straight slice near his elbow.  Paige moved to stand beside him, getting a better view. 

            Harry expected another clean cut.  So when Tony put the knife down and dug his fingers deep into the cut, he gagged.

            Red stains bloomed on his gloves as he got a grip, and _pulled_. 

            Harry couldn’t watch, tripping backwards in a fit of horrified nausea, but that didn’t protect him from the tearing, _crackling_ sound as muscle sheared messily away from its anchor point. 

            A spitting noise made Harry look up again.  Paige was recoiled back, rubbing at her eyes.  Tony snickered, still tugging the strip of flesh off Manny’s arm.  Blood spurted from a torn artery, lost somewhere in the ragged mess.

            “You should’ve tied it better.”  There was a hint of irritation in his voice.  “It’s a shame he’s unconscious…”

            “ _You_ should’ve been more careful.”  She wiped at the blood smeared across her face.  “Then he’d be conscious _and_ he wouldn’t be bleeding everywhere.”

            There was a grotesque snapping sound as what had recently been the underside of Manny’s arm came away at his wrist, skin too fragile to hold onto the bone by itself.  Tony set the tattered strip of skin and muscle next to the cleanly sliced one on the table.

            “It’s not any fun with him out.”  Paige huffed.

            “He’ll be back soon, blacking out from pain doesn’t last long.” Tony let go of the arm, letting it fall with a hollow thump to the table.  “

            Low whimpering began just as Tony was wiping the knife off on the back of Manny’s shirt.

            “What miserable timing…”  He muttered, giving an annoyed scowl at the bleeding child next to him.

            Manny’s gasping whines grew in intensity as he noticed at his arm; had pain returned to him yet?  Was he simply in shock now?  Harry felt disgusted when he realized he was hoping Manny would bleed out.  He just wanted this to be _over_ , but was that all-too-familiar terror of dying and revival preferable to what he was currently going through? 

            Harry’s heart jumped when he realized Paige was standing next to him.  _When had she moved_?

            “Ready for the part two?”  She chirped, offering another sheet of paper to him.

            He couldn’t think.  He just closed his hands as she shoved the paper into them.  What else?  What else could they possibly do?  He didn’t want to look down at the paper.

            “Please…” He heard Robin say.

            “That’s so cute.”  Paige replied, approaching Robin to reach out and cup his face. 

            “If you’d like you can forfeit now; it’d save a good deal of time.”  Tony added.

            Paige whipped around to him “Don’t tell them that!  That wouldn’t be any fun!” she snapped.

            Tony rolled his eyes.  Paige glared.  Harry looked down at the paper.

            An anatomical diagram of internal organs.

            “They’re upstairs”

            “And your time started five minutes and fourteen seconds ago.”  He was smiling. 

            _What choice did they have_?

            Manny was beyond reassurance; he didn’t even seem to be aware of anyone else in the room.  Eye unfocused, paled face streaked with tears and blood, he was too far away to respond to anything right now. 

            Almost mechanically, Harry and Robin ascended the stairs.  Neither of them spoke.  He knew Robin was in worse shape than he was, not yet recovered from having his throat slit, heartbeat likely still uneven. 

            Hesitating at the top of the stairs, they were undecided as to where to go first.  Harry didn’t want to split up again and leave Robin alone.  A debilitating pang of guilt hit him; _they just left Manny alone_.

            As if on cue, a wavering, scared voice called up the stairs.

            “ _In the mattress_ -“

            He was cut off.  Of course he was cut off.  Should they check the mattress or check on Manny? 

            Robin spoke, staring at the door in front of them.  “We can’t help him.” 

            “…I know.”  His hands were balled into fists.  He was going to get them out of here tonight, if only for a little while.  All they could for Manny right now was find what he wanted them to find.

            They pulled up the sheets on Manny’s mattress; bright red thread was sealing up a wide tear across the side.  The string snapped as the bed was hastily torn back open. 

            Something pink and wet could be seen stuffed inside among the springs.  Harry reached in; it was spongy when he touched it.  Suppressing a shudder, his fingers sank in to the soft tissue as he brought it out.

            It took a moment identify the organ at first.  _Lungs_.

            An image invaded Harry’s mind before he could stop it; Tony and Paige sawing through a horrifyingly conscious Manny’s ribcage to get at his lungs.

            _They had to find the rest._

            He and Robin dug through Manny’s room, finding one kidney and something Harry couldn’t quite identify.   Before leaving, Harry quickly packed supplies in a suitcase for Manny.  He didn’t know how much of a chance they’d be given to get out of the house, and it was smart to be prepared in case they had to run again.

            Harry mentally went through his contacts; could anyone be convinced to allow them to stay over a few nights?  He tried to remember which excuse he had used on who in the past.  Street repair, fumigation, remodeling; each good for a handful of days in a real home, cheaper than a hotel.  Maybe Scott; Scott was welcoming and understanding, and Manny loved his dogs last time they stayed there.

            Robin quietly packed up both of their bags while Harry searched the room.  They generally kept a few changes of clothes at the ready, so it didn’t take long.  He looked up in alarm when he heard a sharp inhale from Robin. 

Robin turned stiffly out of the closet and set a tangled pile of intestines and bloodstained cloth on the floor. 

            “Sorry about your scarf.” 

            Harry sighed, nodding in resignation.  He wondered which one of them chose that hiding place.

Were they supposed to look in Paige or Tony’s rooms?  Were they supposed to look in the attic?  He pulled a heart out of his pillowcase.

“ _Tiiime’s up!_ ”

  1.   No _no no no_ _they only just started looking_.



He stared up to Robin; _maybe he had just imagined Tony’s voice_. 

“We just…” his friend was barely audible, and Harry had read his lips more than he heard.

“St-stay here; try to find something- anything else.  I’ll…start carrying things downstairs.”  _Why the hell did he say that?  Paige and Tony wouldn’t hesitate to punish them for ‘cheating’._

He grabbed the mess of scarf and organs, trying to hold mostly on to the cloth, as well as the heart still in his hand. 

Paige shoving body parts to the floor was the first thing he took notice to.  The second thing was the _teeth_ littering the table in front of Manny.  The third was Manny’s pale face, shiny with shock-induced sweat, blood leaking steadily from his mouth.  His eye moved up to Harry, expression beyond pained.

“Where’s the other one?”  Tony asked, eyes narrowing.

“He- uh, he tried to carry too much.  I think he dropped something.”

“Are you _lying_ to me?”  His voice was dangerous, but he couldn’t keep that _smirk_ off his face.

Harry took a step back, shaking his head.  His blood ran cold.

“Oh you _are_.”

Tony’s hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword as he took a slow, deliberate step toward him.  The tiny click of the blade being freed from its attachment point on his belt.  Harry didn’t know what Paige was doing; his eyes were locked on Tony.  He felt like a deer in headlights. 

Tony looked up, grin fading.  “Ugh.” He scoffed in irritation and relaxed back out of his previous, predatory stance. 

Harry turned; Robin, arms full of viscera, standing in the doorway.  He accepted the rush of relief, however temporary it may be.

The sight of Robin reminded Harry that he was still holding an armful of organs; he set them on the end of the table, and Robin followed suit.

Tony took hold of the back of Manny’s collar and roughly lifted him to the table, lying him on his back.  Aside from a weak whimper, Manny didn’t put up any resistance.

“Wait, no- we found-“

“You did.  _After_ the rules were broken.”  Paige stated, and smiled down at Manny, brushing hair out of his face.

Scissors were already snipping his shirt open.  Paige held down his shoulders; unnecessary, considering the shape he was in.  _His breathing was so frail_.  That thin black knife Tony seemed so fond of today reappeared, slicing a line down his abdomen.  Tendrils of blood followed in its wake, Manny entirely unresponsive.  A few more incisions were made, reaching up to form a Y across his body, when Paige spoke.

“Tony.”  She stared down, shaking Manny’s shoulders.

“Hold him down, would you?”

“ _Tony_.  He’s _dead_.”  Her tone was whining, tinged with anger.

“ _What_?”  He looked up from the cuts he was making; Tony reached out and gave the side of Manny’s face a few light taps. 

“Smacking him won’t wake him up- he’s not breathing _you idiot_.  You fucking killed him.”

“ _I_ didn’t kill him; he’s barely lost any blood!”  Tony snapped, tossing the knife to the floor.                                                                                                                       

“He lost _plenty_ of blood while you were taking your time butchering his arm so clumsily.”

“He wouldn’t have lost so much if you could handle a damn tourniquet.  Your appalling knife skills with his eye didn’t help either; did you forget how much head wounds bleed!?”  Tony yanked off his glove, grabbing hold of Manny’s face. 

Seconds ticked by before Manny’s arm began rebuilding itself; presumably his eye too.  Manny gasped, crying out and twitching hard as life rushed back to him.

Tony leaned over him, grabbing his jaw. 

“ _What did you die from_?”  He demanded.

Manny started to cry.

Sobs wracked him, ragged breaths forming no semblance of words.

Tony let him go, furious and disgusted. 

“Look how fucking scared of you he is; _you_ killed him.” Paige scoffed.  They were close to each other now, Paige snarling up at Tony, Tony looming over Paige. 

“Maybe I _did_ kill him; maybe I _wouldn’t_ have killed him if your ideas weren’t always so _fucking awfu_ -“

Paige’s fist connected solidly with Tony’s jaw, his teeth clicking together. 

He turned back to her, incredulous, hand drifting up to touch the reddening spot where he was hit.

“ _I’m going to break all of your fingers_.”  He whispered in a shocked tone.

Tony’s hands darted out, taking hold of Paige’s hair and slamming her head into the wall; Paige tore herself out of his grip and stumbled backwards, before regaining her composure and lunging at him.

They both ended up on the floor quickly, spitting curses and viciously bashing each other off whatever they could.   

Harry didn’t pay much attention to what they did after that; he rushed forward, grabbing Manny and carrying him outside, still bawling uncontrollably.  He put him in the backseat of the car and ran back inside, unable to stay and calm him. 

Harry leapt up the stairs to join Robin in gathering up everything they needed to leave.  Cards, money, suitcases, toiletries, laptop, phones; they checked as quickly as they could.

Rushing downstairs, barely able to hold their supplies, Harry held his breath as they passed back into the dining room.

Tony was lying over Paige, mouth pressed against hers.  His cheek was shredded open, and when he pulled back from her to glare at them, he hissed in pain.  A line of blood fell from his lip from where Paige had bitten it open.  Her nails sank deep into the back of his neck, trying to pull him back down.

“Love, they’re running away.” He murmured; one hand was on the floor holding him up, the other was locked around her throat. 

“Who cares?  They’re _boring_.”  She replied, knotting her free hand into his hair.

Harry and Robin ran faster.

They didn’t even bother closing the door.  Throwing the bags into the trunk, Harry dove into the driver’s seat as Robin threw himself in the passenger side.  His door wasn’t even closed when the car pulled out of the driveway.

Absurdly, Harry felt _guilty_ as he sped down the street.  He felt guilty because he was the only one to make it out of the house without being killed, despite both of Tony’s attempts.  Why couldn’t he have taken the suffering, instead of his friends? 

He’d drive for a while, aimlessly, until everyone’s heartrate stabilized. 

The house faded into the distance.

                                                                   

**Author's Note:**

> WHEN I STARTED THIS FIC I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE THE SHORTEST ONE YET


End file.
